Following a rousing opening to the Oscars in March, where Cynthia Erivo was joined by Wicked co-star Ariana Grande for a medley of the classic musical’s hits “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (from The Wizard of Oz) and “Defying Gravity,” the Jesus Christ Superstar actress brought the same powerhouse vocals to the first moments of Tony Awards, the 78th edition of which she is hosting live from Radio City Music Hall today.
Broadcasting live on CBS and streamer Paramount+, the inaugural moments of the fete began with Erivo backstage getting prodded by various backstage helpers into zhuzhing up her opening act with stunts and gimmicks in order to grab audiences and excite them: There were suggestions to push an assistant down the stairs à la Death Becomes Her (not to worry, there’s worker’s comp), while Abbott Elementary‘s Larry Owens advocated for her to just do her famous run in “Defying Gravity.” And for some reason, Hugh Jackman wanted to know if he could order dozens of trombones? (A decisive no from Erivo on that front.)
However, as Erivo strutted toward the stage in a dazzling, sequined off-the-shoulder red gown, she was met with Oprah Winfrey, with whom she recreated the viral finger-holding moment she previously shared with Grande during the press run for Wicked. Getting some encouragement from the media mogul, she launched into an original number, “Sometimes All You Need Is a Song.”
The Tony winner belted the tune, her powerhouse vocals later accompanied by a white-clad choir that added sweeping gospel touches to the song. As she sang “It’s our stories and our songs that let us soar,” she shouted out Tony nominees like Audra McDonald, Cole Escola and Sarah Snook (who just won Leading Actress for her one-woman role in The Picture of Dorian Gray). The Poker Face actress then descended the stage to the crowd, getting the likes of Kristin Chenoweth and Adam Lambert to contribute vocals to the ballad.
The performance came amid the promotional push for the second part to the blockbuster first installment of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. Titled Wicked: For Good and bowing in theaters this Thanksgiving, the continuation will mark the progression of Elphaba’s (Erivo) and Glinda’s (Grande) story.
Transitioning to introduce the awards show, Erivo began in a short monologue: “There’s no place like home, and Broadway has always been mine.”
While pointing out first-time nominees like Sadie Sink, Erivo also threw a lighthearted jab highlighting “an up-and-comer I think you’re gonna hear a lot about, George Clooney.”
Touting Broadway’s “most financially lucrative year ever,” she said, “Broadway is officially back — provided we don’t run out of cast members from Succession,” which got a big laugh from Snook just moments before the Shiv Roy actress clinched her statuette.
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